> This implies that Tesla can view the vicinity and location of your car at any time. Is that true?
I don't think the cars have the bandwidth to stream it in realtime, but they do upload bits of camera and telemetry data to help train Tesla's self-driving software. The car has settings that let you opt out of this data sharing.
Regarding location data: That's true for most cars sold today and it isn't particularly new. How else would cars have turn-by-turn directions? I think it was 2011 when GM began storing GPS data from cars with OnStar. Even if you avoided owning a car with GPS, there's still the issue of automatic license plate readers. These days, the only way to guarantee that your drive won't be tracked is to steal someone else's car.
If you're like most people, you carry your phone with you. That means that Apple/Google knows where you are. Ditto for your phone company and probably quite a few other companies that have apps on your phone. And if you don't have a phone or a car, you probably walk past a bunch of cameras every day (including cameras on self-driving vehicles). These cameras will only get smarter and more numerous.
Privacy is dead. Most people just don't know it yet.
Where I live, ANPR is unlawful except for Law Enforcement, so I don't generally worry. I've never had a car whose navigation system pulled directions from the cloud - always on-board maps. I can also turn off my phone or leave it behind. All new cars sold in the EU have an eSim for eCall, but it's prohibited from sending telemetry except in the case of a crash and can be permanently disabled at the fuse box. Dash cams are regulated.
> Privacy is dead. Most people just don't know it yet.
For the video clips, you can control whether any are sent to Tesla under the data sharing options on the in-car menu system.
Video is only recorded locally if Sentry mode is enabled (when parked) or Dashcam is enabled (when driving). Sentry mode prevents the car from going to sleep / opening the HV contactor, which costs a small amount of battery if it's enabled for long periods.
The car's location is accessible through the app, so this is sent through Tesla's servers.
